Mystery 101: Words Can Kill

So far this is my favorite Mystery 101. I have seen 3 now. I kind of picked out the who dunnit early but then you question things more and things definitely were not as they seemed. There was nothing obvious about all the goings ons that really happened. When they wrap it up and show what happened... you have that ahhhhhh moment. My only complaint was wardrobe put Jill in sage green outfits too many times. The final navy/magenta plum combo was refreshing and lovely.

College professor Amy Winslow (Jill Wagner) enters her office when a masked person knocks her down running past her. She calls her police detective friend Travis Burke (Kristoffer Polaha) but nothing seems to be stolen. The college is hosting a book festival where her father is a key speaker although he's not happy that his hated rival had rented a booth. His police friend Phil Jenk from Reno PD arrives with a suspicious note.

The character Betsy Crane is being too broad although I do like the Phil Jenk character. He's playing both faces which makes him a good suspect. I like the Who What dichotomy which serves to put up a structure for the investigations. Hallmark mysteries can be bland. One grades on a curve sometimes. This is better than most and it's a good one from the series. It's good as a TV mystery movie.

Words Can Kill is the fourth Hallmark mystery movie I've watched recently. In Words Can Kill, Professor Amy Winslow (Jill Wagner) is responsible for putting together a mystery writers' convention. Her father, Graham Winslow (Robin Thomas), Is set to be the star of the show. But when his previous publisher is found dead, Graham becomes a key suspect. Amy will move mountains to prove her father is innocent.

As I continue to roll through these Hallmark mysteries, they just keep getting better and better. Maybe I've gotten lucky and accidentally picked the good ones, but whatever, I'm really enjoying the movie journey I'm on. I had great fun with Words Can Kill. The plot has some nice twists and turns, culminating in a very satisfactory conclusion. This one kept me guessing right up to the end (even though I really should have spotted the killer from a mile away). The growing relationship between Amy and Detective Burke is another highlight. Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha are solid. And I was impressed with Robin Thomas as Amy's father. Given a larger role in this film, he excelled.

I can't write one of these without listing a few of the problems I had with the movie. Without going into detail: several one dimensional characters, standard mystery tropes, and some iffy acting. But it's easy for me to overlook these weaknesses given how much I enjoyed the rest.

Finally, one of the things I like about these movies is how much they remind me of the mystery novels I grew up reading, with similar plots, similar pacing, and similar reveals. The movies have that mystery novel "feeling" - nothing heavy or groundbreaking, just entertainment and escape.

7/10.

Maybe the two Hallmark channels should change their names to some variation on the Fantasy channel. Oh, I love a lot of movies on the two channels, but in order to do so, more often than not, I have to suspend expectation for realism. Sometimes more than others. This movie has a little mystery but a lot of plot holes. It hurts my brain to even try to list them.

For starters, how about arresting a respected member of the community based on evidence that's planted in an unlocked car. This despite the fact he has no motive and there are easily two or three other people who have openly argued bitterly with the victim, including threats. I can just see the DA visiting Travis' office and asking him what he is thinking.

Another reviewer pointed out Amy contaminating the crime scene once but failed to point out at least one other time. Travis refuses to take Amy to the hotel room once in order to play it "by the books" and then lets her tag along every time after that. Then one of the key players "falls while rock climbing"? I never did figure out whether they were calling that a murder immediately. If not, why not? If so, why no reconstruction of the timeline to determine where Graham was at that time?

Like another reviewer, I had bets with myself early on whodunnit and as time went on kept doubling down until I was proved correct. My deduction was not based on any clues the characters had though. Those were pretty complicated.

The only thing that keeps bringing me back to this series is the combination of Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha. Love them both. I think either one of them could connect with anyone opposite them but even so they are great together.

Amy and Travis are back in our screens! I love this duo. They work good together, they are fun, and their flirty banter is the best! I wish their relationship keeps growing ad getting stronger.

I think this movie was a little more complex than the previous two. It was difficult to guess who the guilty person was. Every guest character is guilty at some time and it throws you off.

One detail bothered me: Amy walking through the crime scene in her high heels? IN THE GRASS? She didn't even put on those bags on her feet, or at least a pair of trainers... and then in the next scene Travis literally says: "We need to do it by the books" I just found that funny.

Let's agree that the real hero of this movie was the front desk lady at the hotel.